Description
I’ve been making this cake, the oldest entry on the menu, almost since our very first Christmas together. Chestnuts are one of my weaknesses, an all-time favorite taste as a little girl. I would get my mother to buy me a tube of chestnut paste, and I would take it to school as often as possible. This cake is rich and flavorful, but it’s also light as chiffon and airy, which is what you need after all the lobster. Christmas isn’t Christmas without this cake.
Ingredients
4 large eggs, separated
5 1/2 tablespoons / 80 g salted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
1 pound / 500 g crème de marron (sweetened vanilla chestnut cream)
1/2 cup / 55g self-rising flour, sifted, plus more for dusting
Powdered sugar, for dusting
4 glazed chestnuts (marrons glacés), for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C. Generously grease a 9-inch / 23cm cake pan with butter and dust with flour, shaking out any excess.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, butter, and chestnut cream until smooth. Fold in the sifted flour until fully incorporated.
- In a separate large bowl, use a hand mixer with a whisk attachment to beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whisked egg whites into the chestnut mixture, taking care to maintain the airy texture.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before unmolding onto a wire rack. Let cool completely.
- Before serving, dust the cake with powdered sugar and decorate with the glazed chestnuts (if using).
